SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Approve a License Agreement between the Clearwater Audubon Society (CAS), and the City of Clearwater to operate and maintain the Bird of Prey Program at Moccasin Lake Park and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent)
Body
SUMMARY:
For over 30 years, the City of Clearwater has operated and maintained a permanently injured, non releasable Bird of Prey program. For the last 15 years of that time, the program has grown with assistance from the CAS volunteers.
Over the last 5 years, due to resource reductions and a shift in programming efforts at Moccasin Lake Park, staff does not have the capacity to provide the necessary daily maintenance and care needed for the Birds of Prey Program to continue.
Rather than eliminating the program the CAS has stepped in and offered to fully operate and maintain the program. CAS will be responsible for all animal care and all associated costs. This includes the training, feeding, caretaking and maintaining all the Bird of Prey, their associated equipment and their enclosures. In addition, CAS will provide onsite educational programming, as well as offsite presentations; annually reaching thousands of school children, civic organizations, churches and other interested groups.
The City will provide enclosures, space to support the program, sand for the animal enclosures, processing of background screening for the Bird of Prey volunteers and payment for the utilities.
Should the Agreement be terminated by either party, the CAS shall be responsible for relocating the birds to other acceptable locations. The City at its discretion will remove animal enclosures and all Birds of Prey equipment and facilities.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT: N/A
USE OF RESERVE FUNDS: N/A